


The Sandstorm

by Udunie



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, BDSM, Bad BDSM Etiquette, Dubious Consent, M/M, Multi, Non-Sexual Submission, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, at first, probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-04
Packaged: 2018-05-10 23:18:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5604679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Udunie/pseuds/Udunie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“As long as I don’t communicate his status through the official channels his fate is still in my hands, but. I can’t be trusted to make this decision alone,” she admitted. She was a strong woman. Poe always knew that, but he had a special respect for people in power who could admit to their weaknesses.</p><p>Finn was a bit pale. He told them all about the rages Kylo Ren would go into, how the stormtroopers avoided him whenever they could. And Rey told them about fighting him. About the raging strength of the Force inside him that wasn’t darkness or light, just power that was consuming everything, maybe even his sanity.</p><p>Poe hadn’t actually met the guy yet.</p><p>“Do you think he should die?” the General asked looking them in the eye one-by-one. </p><p>They all heard the real question behind her words. ‘Do you think he can be saved?’</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, hello. This is the Poe Dameron/Kylo Ren BDSM fic nobody asked for.
> 
> Fair warning, I'm not a 'Real Star Wars Nerd' so things might be wrong. I hope not, but hey, shit happens.
> 
> This chapter is mostly build up, smut later!
> 
> Also, thank you to the wonderful Emma who got sucked into betaing this!

The three of them sat together, watching the lake ripple in front of the D’Qar base. It was hard to believe that everything was over.

Snoke was dead - thanks to Rey - and the Republic didn’t make the same mistake twice, destroying the last remains of the Empire until nothing was left. All the officers alive arrested, the stormtroopers disarmed and under careful watch to oversee their possible rehabilitation.

Poe had no idea how the others felt, but he had no idea what to do with himself now that there was no war to fight. He was a pilot. And not just any pilot, the best pilot of the Resistance, except there was nothing to resist anymore.

General Organa had yet to declare the disband of their forces, but according to most, it was only a question of time.

He looked at his friends. Well, no. They were more than friends. He didn’t exactly know what they were, but there was something growing between the three of them, something fragile and soft, and Poe knew that it could become something beautiful if they let it.

He wasn’t sure that was for him. Yes he loved them both, but he was… he wasn’t sure that that kind of softness would be enough for him. Rey was amazing, she was the light of the Force, shining with power even after all of the ugliness of the war, constantly amazed by the wonders of the universe she was just getting to know.

It was almost funny how similar Finn actually was. Yeah, he had been to many worlds, had seen all the nastiest pits of despair, but with his freedom his eyes had been opened, letting him see the galaxy for what it really was for the first time. A place of diversity, of miracles, of immerse beauty.

Poe had no idea how he deserved these two.

“Sirs, Ma'am, the General wishes to see you,” said someone from behind them, a smooth faced soldier, obviously starstruck by being up close to the trio that saved the galaxy.

They got up, Finn grabbing Rey’s hand as Poe threw an arm around his shoulder. It was their thing, drawing power from the closeness. Poe had always been like that, bumping people on the shoulder, patting them on the back, but he knew it was something still foreign for the other two.

Finn was especially touch starved. Rey was a bit more careful, learning early on that others wanting to touch her couldn’t mean anything good, but they were getting used to it, and Poe was set on helping them along.

The General was waiting for them in her study, looking worn and tired, not at all like someone who won a war.

She barely waited for the door to close behind them.

“There is… one thing that we need to decide on before this war is finally over,” she said. The three of them exchanged worried glances, mostly because the General was not known to share the responsibility of making decisions.

“What is it?” Rey asked finally. She had a hard time knowing how to speak with the General. She was her aunt and no matter how much she longed for a family, she wasn’t sure what to do it with it now.

The General sat down heavily.

“B- Kylo Ren is still our prisoner,” she said finally.

It was almost comical how all of them went rigid at the reminder. Poe wanted to hit himself in the face. How the hell did they forget about him? Yeah, he was captured before the last, all consuming battle, but he was still a major player in the game.

“I haven’t officially informed the Republic yet, though I think they already know. And I know what they are planning,” she said, not looking at either of them.

Oh. 

Poe had no doubt that they would want Kylo Ren executed. And he also had no doubt that it was killing the General.

“As long as I don’t communicate his status through the official channels his fate is still in my hands, but. I can’t be trusted to make this decision alone,” she admitted. She was a strong woman. Poe always knew that, but he had a special respect for people in power who could admit to their weaknesses.

Finn was a bit pale. He told them all about the rages Kylo Ren would go into, how the stormtroopers avoided him whenever they could. And Rey told them about fighting him. About the raging strength of the Force inside him that wasn’t darkness or light, just power that was consuming everything, maybe even his sanity.

Poe hadn’t actually met the guy yet.

“Do you think he should die?” the General asked looking them in the eye one-by-one. 

They all heard the real question behind her words. ‘Do you think he can be saved?’

 

***

 

“This is insane,” Rey hissed as they sneaked their way into the prison wing. 

“Seconded,” Finn put in, watching over their shoulder to make sure that they haven’t been spotted.

“Hush,” Poe told them both. They were getting close, Kylo Ren’s cell was right at the end of the hall.

“Finn, you stay here on lookout, in case someone comes, though we should be good for another half an hour,” Poe told him. It was good to be careful, and he knew that the man would want to stay as far as possible from his former boss while still making sure that they were okay.

“Shit, shit, okay,” Finn said, hiding in a nook from where he could keep an eye on both them and the door. Rey darted in and planted a quick kiss onto his cheek before she followed Poe.

Most of the cells were empty, doors open, echoing their footsteps. Nobody was allowed here, because the General was afraid that he would try to use his powers to get free. That’s why Rey was here, she would be able to stop him if anything happened.

“I still think this is crazy,” she whispered as they reached the last cell. This one was locked, but nothing could be heard through the thick metal door. 

“What now?” she asked as they crouched down. Poe sat, leaning back against the cool wall.

“Well, you tell me,” he said with a grin, making the girl’s eyebrows climb impossible high.

“What? What is that supposed to mean? I thought you had a plan! You are the one with the plans, what the hell, Poe?” she hissed, eyes lighting up with annoyance. Poe loved to see that fire in her, but he didn’t actually bring her just to piss her off.

He did have a plan. Sort of.

“No, seriously,” he said, pulling out a flat device from his jacket. She looked at it with curiosity, still not quite used to all the newer technology the Resistance used. They didn’t have things like this on the Jakku.

Poe fiddled with it until it lit up, the screen flickering between different images until it stopped on a security feed. 

Rey gasped. The Kylo Ren on the picture was very different from the one she met, what seemed like ages ago. He lost all the thick robes somewhere, dressed in a simple black shirt with matching pants. He looked incredibly thin and pale, dark hair in a disarray. 

The Kylo Ren on the feed was standing stock still, staring at the door.

“Does he know that we’re here?” Poe asked. He knew that the cells were soundproofed, to make sure that the prisoners couldn’t overhear anything important.

Rey looked behind them, like she hoped to see through the metal, then nodded hesitantly.

“He can feel that I’m here,” she said, voice hushed. Poe knew that she had been scared of Kylo Ren, but hopefully she was past that now. Now that she knew just how strong she really was.

“Hm, that’s okay,” he said, still looking at the picture. He wasn’t moving, standing there like a statue. Poe had no idea where the thought came from, but suddenly he was explicitly aware that the man on the picture was  _ scared _ .

“Rey, I know that you’re afraid, but I also know what you are capable of. So, can you tell me what he’s thinking?”

“I’m not a mindreader!” she shot back, a bit paler than usual, but so, so brave. Poe really did love her.

He squeezed her shoulder.

“Okay, okay, I know that, but… You can… I don’t know. Get a feeling from him? You already did that once, right? You could try.”

Rey gave him a long look, face focused, but unreadable.

“Poe, I don’t understand what you think this will achieve. He'll know what I’m doing. I’m… I’m not actually a trained Jedi, and that time he already opened the channel between us. What do you want from this?”

He kept his hand on her shoulder. He actually wasn’t sure himself. He just needed to see. He knew the General, he knew Han Solo - however fleetingly - and he just… refused to accept that their child was lost to the Darkness.

He remembered all too clearly what the others told him of Han’s death. It had been painful to hear the details, but it stuck with him that even Rey - who by then had the awakened Force coursing through her veins - believed for a second that it would end differently.

There had to be something.

“Please, Rey. Just try. If nothing else, we owe it to the General to help her make a decision. If there’s nothing there, just Darkness, I swear I will leave him alone,” he said, looking into her eyes.

She held his gaze for a second or two, but then closed his eyes, letting out a deep sigh.

“Alright. But don't expect much,” she warned. She sat back against the wall, taking one long breath after the other as she started to focus.

Poe left her to it, watching the feed. It was obvious when the man realized that someone was trying to prod, his body jerked into motion, and in a second he was standing in the farthest corner from the door. Poe was pretty sure he had no idea that he was being watched, otherwise he wouldn’t have allowed himself such a show of weakness.

For a second he felt bad for spying, but it passed quickly.

The man wasn’t moving again. Once he was as far away as he could he froze again. The almost unnatural stillness somehow suited him and at the same time made Poe want to wipe that blank immobility away.

Rey was sweating, but she wasn’t giving up. Such a good girl.

“He,” she said, voice shaky a bit, brows pulled into a tight frown, “I… ugh. This is so hard.”

Poe took her hand, squeezing her fingers gently.

“That’s fine. We have time, and I will be happy with anything,” he said, voice quiet, not wanting to startle her.

She gave a small nod, eyes still closed.

“He… It’s hard to explain. It feels like the sandstorms back home. It’s just… violent,” she told him. Poe felt his hopes dwindle. That wasn’t good.

“If there’s that much darkness in him…” he started, but Rey stopped him.

“No, it’s not that. A sandstorm isn’t evil. It just is. It’s a force of nature without an agenda or an aim,” she said. It was interesting to watch her face slowly smoothing out as her powers finally found the way to do her bidding. She was still learning and Poe was amazed at her progress every single day.

“So?” he asked, uncertain a bit for the first time. He glanced at the screen, but the man still haven’t move, every line of his body screaming tension.

“The Force,” she said, licking her lips, “I’m not saying the Jedi lied or something, but both them and the Dark side had a pretty… black and white thinking. The Force isn’t Light or Darkness. It’s not that simple. When I met Luke he was almost pure Light, and when I fought Snoke he was almost pure Darkness, but that was them. This… man is different. He has the Force. He has Light and he has Darkness but he isn’t…” she was searching for words, squeezing Poe’s hand rhythmically.

“Committed?” he asked hopefully.

Her little ‘meh’ frown was kind of adorable.

“Something like that, I’m not sure, I’m not good at this.”

“You are absolutely wonderful at this,” Poe said honestly.

Rey smiled a little, eyes still clenched shut in concentration.

“All I know is that he has a lot of Force in him and he has a lot of emotions and not enough strength to do anything with either of them.”

Poe looked at the feed thoughtfully. What that must be like? To have such an incredible, overwhelming power? The more he looked at that motionless body hiding in a corner the more he understood. Kylo Ren was lost. He was alone, lost and scared. Maybe from his own self most of all.  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much again for the lovely Emma, who helped me with this chapter!

Poe thought about it for a long time, a whole day actually. Rey and Finn both felt that he was preoccupied, so stayed away as much as they could, while still sticking together. He would probably never get over the fact of how well they fit together.

He did talk to Rey. For him, the Force was a thing of legend. Sure, he knew it was real, but it wasn’t something tangible, not for someone like him, an ordinary human.

He heard the myths, he knew of the Jedi council, of the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker and the subsequent rise and fall of Darth Vader. But it was… hard to imagine.

He didn’t really know what to do with the information about Kylo Ren. Just like Rey said, the Jedi - and the Siths - might not have lied, but people only heard about there being a light and a dark side of the Force. Two absolutes and nothing in between.

Rey was a miracle.

“So, do you think it’s possible to… I don’t know. Have the force and follow neither path?” he asked.

She shrugged, pulling a face.

“I don’t know. The Force only awakened in me when this whole thing started. I mean, looking back, it might have been there all along, but… dormant?”

Poe nodded. That made sense. They said the same thing about Luke Skywalker.

“I can’t even imagine what it must be like to grow up with it,” she added, looking thoughtful. 

She paused for a second, squinting into the distance.

“Maybe… Look, I don’t know much, but I think, that all those orders, the Jedi, the Sith, the knights of Ren were created in order to give a direction to the Force. I don’t think it’s either good or bad, but I do think that it must be hard to just have it without a focus.”

Poe looked at her profile. How someone so young and innocent could posses so much wisdom was a mystery. He knew it had to do with the Force too - Finn told him that Rey became much more ‘intense’ after she started her training - but he still thought that it was mostly Rey. 

“So you don’t think it can be done?”

“I think,” she said, taking his hand, “that nothing is set in stone. There’s no preordination, the Force is filtered through every single one of us, and what we take from it, and what we give it is what determines whether it’s Light or Darkness.”

That didn’t sound so bad. Poe was ready to take his chances.

 

***

 

He didn’t really understand what made him so desperate to try. It didn’t make any sense; he didn’t know the guy, he heard of all the shit he did, for all intents and purposes he should have rooted for him to get executed.

But that picture on the security feed haunted him. That body immobilized by fear. 

He was worried what the others thought of him trying so hard. Both of them had reason to hate Kylo Ren, and he wasn’t sure he could go through with… whatever he managed to cook up, if they were against it.

As always, he was blown away by those two.

 

***

 

“I… don’t like it. That guy is giving me the creeps. Always did, even back in the Order. There’s something unsettling about him. But, you know what? I was a stormtrooper when we met, and you gave me a chance without thinking twice about it. I like to think that it was because you are a good judge of character, and not because you’re a reckless idiot, so. If you think that there’s something to be done, I’ll watch your back,” Finn told him while they ate in the corner of the mess hall. Poe gave him a long, astonished look.

“What?” the man asked, blushing a bit under the scrutiny.

“You are an outstanding human being,” Poe told him honestly, pushing their boots together under the table.

 

***

 

“I won’t stop you,” Rey said, in her room well past midnight. Sometimes they would just get together in one of their rooms and pile into a bed. It was a thing.

Finn was snoring softly, head pillowed on her belly.

“I’m not sure there’s anything you can do, but… Did you know that Luke forgave his father? If he could see something good in a man who destroyed worlds, then… Maybe there is hope.”

She dropped her head to Poe’s shoulder, yawning.

“Thank you,” he told her.

“I haven’t done anything yet,” she replied, already half-asleep.

Poe couldn’t help smiling. She had no idea how much she meant, not just as a new hope for the Jedi, but as the rock for both her friends to rely on.

He really didn’t deserve these two.

 

***

 

That night, he came to a decision, and he didn’t want to give himself time to back out. The first thing he did was talk to the General.

She wanted to know what he was planning.

He couldn’t tell her. He knew that this could easily turn very ugly and have catastrophic consequences not just for the prisoner but for him too. But he had a gut feeling. Some instinct that told him to give it a go, even if his own future was on the line too.

He told the General that what he planned was risky, and the fewer people who knew about it was the better. Poe was almost certain that she wouldn’t give in. Even if she wasn’t a leader responsible for her prisoner, she was a mother who still - even after everything - loved her son.

Poe almost got dizzy when she finally agreed.

 

***

 

He only took Rey. Finn had a promising carrier in the resistance - or whatever came of the armed forces after this - but the girl was more or less untouchable as a Jedi. She would be fine, even if everything went pear shaped.

This time, they didn’t have to sneak to get to the cell. They had the General’s permission.

Four soldiers were just coming out after making the usual accommodations for an interrogation, which this officially was.

“Alright, you can go,” he told them, the man looking at each-other dumbfounded.

“Sir, you know the protocol, there has to be…”

“I know, I know,” Poe told them, flashing his most winning smile and hoping that they couldn’t see how nervous he actually was. “But I think Jedi Rey will be enough to save me if anything happens. She has to concentrate if she wants to stop that guy from using the Force, the more people here, the more she has to divide her attention,” he said in a low voice, like he was sharing a secret.

The men seemed a bit paler, but didn’t question him, and Rey was sweet enough not to call bullshit and blow his story.

“Well… If you are absolutely sure, sir?”

Poe nodded, shooing them away, not even looking at the girl until the soldiers were safely out of hearing distance.

“What the hell was that?” she hissed when they were finally alone. “The Force doesn’t work like that!”

Poe just looked at her for a moment, taking in her features. She was beautiful and fierce and absolutely perfect. He put his hands on her shoulders.

“Rey, I need you to stay out here and watch my back. But, under no circumstances come in, unless he’s Force-choking me, or something. You will be able to sense it if he does anything.”

Or at least he hoped.

She searched his eyes, looking more worried by the second.

“What are you going to do? Why won’t you tell either of us?”

Poe gave her a little smile. He knew it wasn’t as bright as usual, but that was all he could muster.

“I will be fine. Don’t come in unless I’m dying. Promise?”

Rey nodded, hands tightening on the hilt of her lightsaber.

“Good girl,” Poe said, leaning in and pecking her on the tip of her nose.

Time to face the music.

***

The first thing in his mind when he stepped into the cell was that Kylo Ren was really fucking huge. He was taller than him by at least a foot. He heard that Darth Vader himself had been an intimidating figure and Han Solo hadn’t been short either, but his son had beaten him in that too.

Poe took a step closer, not even having time to register the look on the man’s face when he was assaulted by an image. A memory he almost forgot; of a black and silver mask in his face, a leather clad hand reaching out while his head felt like it was flying apart.

Oh.

“We did meet,” he said, kind of shocked. He didn’t understand how he could have forgotten it. Kylo Ren had been the one who got it out of him where he hid the map, back when everything began. The realization was baffling.

Then again, he had a mild concussion at the time - from the beating he received from Hux’s men - and whatever the guy done to him to get the information left him with barely any memory of the event itself.

Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t even been able to tell what happened when he got back to the Resistance after they had crashed with Finn. He had known he spilled and that it had been bad, but even then haven’t been able to recall how or why.

Poe blinked a few times to clear his head, finally concentrating on what he came here to do. For a second he wondered if this changed things, but… It felt like it all happened a lifetime ago and honestly, as violating as it had been to have someone prod around in his brain, he also knew that things could have ended in a very different way. Kylo Ren had no reason to keep him alive, could have choked him with the Force right then and there, but didn’t. Maybe remembering it just now was a sign that he was on the right track.

The man in front of him didn’t move. Poe studied him from up close for the first time; he had a long face, large nose and pale skin, hair long and disheveled. He had a thick mouth and a pair of large ears hiding behind his curls.

He should have been ugly, probably, but Poe actually thought that he was absolutely stunning. Not handsome in the traditional sense, but… stunning.

He didn’t like the expression on that face, though. It was closed off, guarded and completely emotionless. Not what he wanted to see at all.

“Do you prefer Kylo or Ben?” he asked, just to jostle him out of it.

Those beautiful dark eyes sharpened, muscles tensing even further, but Poe didn’t feel like he was in danger. He felt like he was trying his luck with a cornered animal ready to bolt. And he had Rey at the ready if he decided to fight instead.

“Kylo Ren,” the man said. And wow. Without the distortion of the mask that voice was something else. Poe had the feeling that he could listen to it for hours on end.

“The Knights of Ren don’t exist anymore, and it seems a bit too formal, don’t you think?” he asked, trying for a smile, but it didn’t get the reaction he was going for. Or any reaction at all.

“This is an interrogation,” the man said, though there was a touch of uncertainty behind the words.

Poe hummed noncommittally. He didn’t want to lie.

“Kylo it is, then… Please step back, turn towards the wall and raise your hands above your head,” he said.

He knew that this was a crucial moment. Kylo just stood there for a few seconds, looking at him with eyes that clearly wished they had a death-rays installed. Poe knew the second he tried to do something, because there was the slightest tightening in his chest, but it stopped abruptly, the man’s eyes cutting to the door.

He must have sensed Rey, or she did something to make him think twice about hurting him.

Oh, that gaze held so much anger. It wasn’t exactly what Poe wanted to achieve, but much better than the blankness from before. He could work with anger.

Kylo obeyed finally. His wrists were bound by a high-tech restraint, put on by the soldiers before they’ve arrived. It was a trusty piece that no lock picking worked on, not like he expected those skills. 

As soon as his hands were where he wanted them, Poe activated one of the magnets built into the wall, the cuffs smashing against the metal with a loud bang. The things were built into every cell, to make it easier to hold prisoners in one place for whatever reason.

It was a bit too high, so Poe adjusted the controls, the cuffs sliding a bit lower on the metal until they were fixed just above the man’s hand. He didn’t want him to strain a muscle or something.

Kylo was obviously shocked by the development. It was no wonder, considering that most Force tricks required some kind of gesturing that he wasn’t able to do now. He didn’t struggle exactly, but tried his luck, pulling on the restraint to see if it would hold.

It did, but Poe didn’t miss the low whirr from the walls. Kylo couldn’t have known what it meant, but Poe was kind of amazed. The high capacity magnetic field actually had to strain a bit to keep up with him.

Strong.

“Is this pay-back?” the man asked after realizing that he wasn’t going anywhere.

Poe stopped in his tracks, looking at that wide shouldered, but still narrow back. The accusation shouldn’t have stung, but it did a bit. 

“No,” he said quietly as he stepped closer. “No, it isn’t. I barely remember what happened. I actually thought that we hadn’t met yet,” he explained. It wasn’t doing any good, if the way the man followed his moves from the corner of his eyes was any indication.

There was suspicion there, and anger, and - again - fear.

Poe pulled out his knife and those eyes widened a fraction before dimming in something close to defeat.

“Please don’t kick me, I don’t want to cut you on accident,” he said, trying to sound as harmless as he could.

Oh, that confused little frown was almost cute.

As soon as he was in touching distance, Kylo went stock still. Poe wasn’t even sure that he was breathing.

“It’s okay, just going to get this off,” he said, pulling the man’s shirt from his trousers and cutting it up along the back. He couldn’t help finding all that pale, smooth skin beautiful. The small moles and scars just making it more special.

He could practically feel the tension radiating from the body in front of him. And a touch of terror - it made his mouth taste bitter.

“I thought the Resistance didn’t believe in torture,” Kylo said, voice almost - almost - steady.

Poe didn’t let his hand freeze mid-motion, though it was a close thing.

“I’m not going to torture you,” he replied with confidence, even though he knew he wouldn’t be believed.

Kylo actually gave a little snort, but Poe couldn’t help thinking that he was just trying to act tough.

He got the remains of the shirt out of the way and then stepped back.

Poe knew that he needed to be in control. He had to be strong, if he wanted this to work, if he wanted to give a chance for this man to be weak. To accept being weak.

He pulled his jacket off, taking out the flogger he hid there before coming. It felt like he was standing on the brink of something, something huge and deep and he would either fall or fly, along with Kylo Ren.

“I’m not going to torture you,” he repeated, almost just to reassure himself. It had to be true, but if he misjudged the situation, if he made the wrong call, it would be exactly that and he would never be able to look at himself in the mirror again. 

He closed his eyes. Poe didn’t really believe in any deity out there, so he asked the Force for strength.

“But I’m going to hurt you.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Emma for helping me along, and for listening to my Adam Driver themed mini-freakout :D

Poe took one last second to really look at the man, but didn’t allow himself any more time for second guessing. He knew his instincts. They were good, and every single one of them was telling him that he was doing the right thing.

The first strike wasn’t hard. Not as hard as it would have been with a practiced partener, but Kylo still jerked with it. He didn’t make a sound, there was just a barely audible intake of breath, and then that damn stillness that made Poe so fascinated in the first place.

He didn’t leave time for either of them to overthink it, preferring to get into the middle of things as quick and easy as possible. He put a bit more power behind the next hit, the leather cracking against that wide expanse of pale skin, leaving it pink in the aftermath.

Kylo jerked every time, but Poe couldn’t shake off the feeling that he was expecting something worse again and again.

He made sure to keep the strength consistent after he got the hang of the flogger, making absolutely sure that there wouldn’t be a nasty surprise, just a steady rhythm of pain, a few seconds of waiting and then pain again. Being reliable was important, even in this. Especially in this.

He should have been miffed, but instead he felt a touch of pride when he noticed that he worked up a sweat quicker than Kylo. Such a strong man. Even though the air was tight with the tension, with the promise of him breaking, he didn’t give up easily.

When he started to talk, Poe was pretty sure that he was on the end of his rope, back a scissoring of pink skin, blooming darker with every hit. He didn’t jerk anymore, and Poe took that as a small win.

What he wanted to see was the man relaxing into the strikes, but they weren’t there, not quite yet.

“What do you want?” the man asked, voice almost normal, with just a touch of something in it. Poe wanted more of that something.

He landed another hit before replying, eyes drinking up those gorgeous muscles working through the bite of pain. Kylo was too thin. He was still defined, but Poe had a feeling that he lost a few pounds since his capture. They would have to work on that.

“I want you to relax,” he said with easy confidence. He didn’t have to fake it anymore. With every strike of the flogger he was more and more convinced that this was going to work.

There was that little fake-derisive snort again, but Poe didn’t miss the way Kylo choked a bit at the end of it.

“I don’t know what information you want,” Kylo said. Poe knew he was smart, he had to know by now that this was no interrogation, but he still held to it,  _ stubborn _ . The man didn’t turn his head as he spoke - hadn’t since they’ve started - in fact, he rested his head on the wall for a second between the bend of his elbows. The small show of vulnerability made Poe’s chest tighten.

“You don’t need to know anything.”

He had been aiming at the upper back, but now, now that they were getting somewhere he slowly pulled his hits lower. He didn’t want to cause injury, so he avoided the small of Kylo’s back, but the effect was still visible.

He made sure to do it slowly, to let him get used to it. The skin was thinner there, more sensitive - and it showed.

Finally Poe managed to get the first noise out of him. It was a hiss, quiet but sharp and incredibly satisfying. He could barely stop himself from commenting on it, not wanting to startle him out of his head. He got a soft, bitten off ‘nn’ next and then a sigh and it set him on edge like nothing else.

He wanted to tell Kylo how well he was doing, how amazing, but it wasn’t the time for that.

He kept hitting him, over and over, pinking even more of that lovely skin. His arm felt like it was going to fall off, but he kept going.

Poe was pretty sure that Kylo wasn’t aware of the little noises he was making, the way his body slowly, oh-so-slowly lost tension, relaxing into the hits and taking them beautifully.

It was his fault for getting tired, but the next strike went a bit awry in mid-air, the leather straps twisting together and biting the skin harder than they should have. It made Kylo jerk and Poe stopped immediately. The mark left was almost immediately purple, an angry, ugly blotch. There was no blood, but he had to made sure he didn’t break the skin before he continued.

Stepping closer felt like waking from a dream. He might have been getting a bit carried away, and this was a good wake-up call. They weren’t here for his pleasure.

Kylo’s chest was heaving. He took big, shuddering breathes now that he had a second to do so.

Poe didn’t touch the mark, though he examined it thoroughly. He felt incredibly relieved to see that it wasn’t anything serious.

He didn’t know what made him do it, but the reached up, palming the damp nape of Kylo’s neck and squeezing down just a bit.

“Sorry about that,” he said. For the first time the man turned his head a bit, their gazes locking.

There was so much in those lovely, dark eyes, Poe couldn’t even begin to decipher it.

“You’re doing so good,” he told Kylo, voice quiet and as honest as he might have never been before in his life.

The pretty eyes widened for a second and then sharpened.

“What!?” the man asked, incredulous, choked off and a little wet. There was so much vulnerability in that single word, so much… desperation that it broke Poe’s heart.

“So good,” he repeated, squeezing again before he stepped back.

It took amazingly little after that. There was a hitching, almost needy sound after every hit, that big, strong body falling into the rhythm so easily; relaxing into the strikes and then the muscles clenching and unclenching as they accepted the pain it brought.

Beautiful.

Poe expected there to be crying - after all the stories of temper tantrums - but it didn’t come. What came was surrender. Kylo finally stopped fighting him and just let go, head pillowed on the bend of his arm, body loose and finally not locked into that stillness. His fingers kept clenching, the sole of his right foot lifting when the pain hit. Nothing much, just little reactions that told Poe that the walls were down.

He could see the edge of that sharp, stunning profile, the closed eyes, lips slightly parted. Kylo looked open. He looked open and young and free, and that was more than what Poe ever dreamed off.

“Two more,” he said, mostly to himself. The real art was knowing when to stop.

He almost dropped the flogger when he heard the reply of a small, fragile little ‘yes’.

Poe landed them carefully, acutely aware that these last two were more important than all the others before.

As soon as the second connected, he did drop the flogger, hitting the release and stepping up just in time to catch Kylo from tumbling to the floor. He couldn’t hold up that body - not for long anyway - so he let them slide down along the wall, pulling the man closer and feeling his heartbeat drum two at a time when Kylo curled against him, hiding his face in the neck of his shirt.

It was the most natural thing in the world to bury his fingers in the soft, thick locks, his other hand settling on the small of Kylo’s back, caressing the smooth, unmarked skin he found there.

With another partner, he would have been palming their groin, helping them come if they haven’t yet, but this wasn’t about that. Poe was hard, but it didn’t matter. He knew that Kylo might not even enjoy this sexually, and it didn’t matter if he did, that wasn’t what Poe came here to do.

“You did so good, so amazing,” he murmured, allowing himself a small kiss on that messy, dark hair.

Kylo’s breath hitched, hands clenching where they were fisted into the sides of Poe’s shirt. Ah, there was the crying.

It was okay. They were okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are love!
> 
> You can find me at udunie.tumblr.com


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